I decided to look a bit for content on the guy whose wake I attended in 1987, in Detroit in #37. A local musician had some great things to say about him, and I think the story bears repeating.
The guy for whom the wake was, George Korinek, was a band member in a few bands from the 1960's until he died in 1987. Besides being a session musician, he formed a band I saw playing around Michigan,
Wilson Mower Pursuit. He also played/formed a band called
Shadowfax which played in the clubs in Detroit referred to as the Cass Corridor. Later he took a financial interest in the club where I attended his wake.
Here's the personal history of a musical student of George's. It has some great info, only in Detroit. The Motor City was also The Music City. Where-else are you gonna find a story mixing the blues/rock & roll, and automobile production and supplies? I am thankful for the writer, for taking the time to recall so-much from his formative years, into adulthood, and the influence this musician had on him.
Tribes of the Corridor Discussion: George Korinek (corridortribe.com)
I knew George Korinek mostly as my guitar teacher and mentor. I was 7 years old in 1964 when I had my first guitar lesson with his dad, Al Korinek, at Welsby Music in Farmington, MI. For my next lesson, he turned me over to his 18 year old son, George, who would influence my musical direction over the next eight years. He took me through the basics of music theory, which I resisted as much as any kid who just wanted to rock & roll. I remember his patience and his persistence each week, as he assured me that this was the way to learn what I wanted to do, which was to express myself through my instrument. I had to learn "Big Rock Candy Mountain", before he would teach me "Day Tripper".
My first read of Rolling Stone was one of his issues (back when it was still a newspaper format), which he told me to make sure my Mom didn't see. He would lace our lessons with stories of the Detroit music scene. Tales of shows at the Grande Ballroom, the Palladium, Alvin's, and numerous other venues would lead to an assignment for my next lesson, which could be to listen to Jimmy Reed or Albert King and nail a passage, in addition to learning his father's notation of "Misty" or "I Left My Heart In San Francisco". He was passionate about his music and about all music. While he was a committed blues player, there were no barriers, and every style of music was fair game.
He would tell me, "Whatever you play, make every note count." He loved the blues because it left space for expression. When he played, his eyes would close, and you could tell that he felt every note he played. He was an expressive guitarist, with a great control of dynamics. It didn't matter that he was playing his Les Paul or Byrdland through a small practice amp, so quietly that it wouldn't disturb the lesson in the next room. He could have been on stage, for the way he looked.
When I was 14, he took me to a show his band played at the Birmingham Palladium, February 6, 1971. Edgar Winter's White Trash headlined. George's band, Lucky Dog, was the opener. I looked forward to that night, because I finally had the opportunity to see George onstage. Lucky Dog was powerful and tight. As best I can recall, Lucky Dog was Shadowfax, because it was George, Bill Hodgson, David Opatik, and David Chambers.
After their set, we saw a bit of the Tin House set and then went back to the dressing room. One of the guys said to me, "Hey, kid! Wanna see Edgar's band?" He pulled back part of the masonite partition between the dressing rooms, so that I could look in on White Trash hanging out before the show. We went back out and stayed for all of White Trash. It was a fantastic night.
Eventually, George stopped teaching, and we lost contact. I saw him many years later at Alvin's, after someone told me that he was one of the owners. It was a few years before he left this earth. I can't pretend to have any insight, but he seemed very disassociated from things. Friends told me that running the club was wearing him down.
I received a call from Gary Graff in 1987, who told me that George had died. Gary wrote a beautiful obituary which appeared in the Detroit Free Press. The service at the funeral home was somber, but, at times, moving. The room was full, a tribute to someone who clearly had touched them as an artist and friend. I felt then, as I do now, a tremendous loss, despite the years between.
I owe much to George, far more than I can write. While I believe that you cannot teach someone to have passion for music, you can put them on the path to find that passion within themself. He provided me with the history behind the Beatles, Cream, and Jeff Beck, by having me listen to Chuck Berry, Chicago and Delta blues, and Carl Perkins. This he wanted me to know, before teaching me contemporary music. When I play, my left hand is always anchored on my guitar, either at the bridge or by my pinky and ring fingers, or both - a rule he never let me break. And he taught me that all the trappings and posturing won't make the music good, and they often ruin it.
Most important, though, was his encouragement to make every note count. If it doesn't count, then leave it out. It is true for everything we do. It is the parallel between music and life.
Stephen Scapelliti
3-26-2005
And more on the Detroit band
Shadowfax:
Letters 5/5/05 | Opinion | Northern Express
Shadowfacts
There were historical inaccuracies in Rick Coates‘ April 21 article entitled “The seasoned pros of Leo Creek” covering the playing life of Drew Abbott and Tim Sparling.
Coates mistakenly credits Sparling with forming the Detroit Cass Corridor band Shadowfax and gives the impression that Abbott started to jam with the band after Sparling was with the group.
Detroit’s Shadowfax was formed in 1968 by George Korinek (bass guitar; formerly with Wilson Mower Pursuit), Bill Hodgson (lead guitarist), Dave Chambers (drums) and Bill Vreeland (vocals). In 1969, Vreeland was replaced by David Opatik (bass and rhythm guitar; formerly with the original Amboy Dukes). Those four members - Chambers, Hodgson, Korinek, and Opatik - remained the core of the group. Shadowfax played at Cobb’s Corner, the Miami Bar, Harpo’s, and the Grande Ballroom. Shadowfax opened often for Mitch Ryder, opened for Ike and Tina Turner at Crisler Arena in 1971, and played Dally in the Alley; they remain a corridor legend – their live recordings are still circulating on tape and the internet.
In 1978, when Sparling joined Shadowfax, Abbott had already been jamming regularly with the band. Sparling followed two great keyboard players, Bobby McDonald (Bobby played on Motown recordings) and Boot Hill (previously with Billy C. and the Sunshine & Mitch Ryder). Incidentally, George Korinek bought Alvin’s and turned it into the Cass Corridor’s premiere blues club, giving Shadowfax a home base. Bobby died in 1981. Bill died in 1983. George Korinek died in 1987.
Mary Preston • via email